Signal device



Ap ril 29, 1941. L. RITTENHOUSE SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Dec. 18, 1939 INVENTOR. ZZ5/fi use W m 'iz'sATTORNEYt Patented Apr. 29, 1941 EJJN'IT D STAT E S PAST hi T ii F 1 C E 2,240,378 SIGNAL DEVICE Lloyd-Bittenhouse, Honeoye Falls, N. L, aSSignOr to. The A... E. Rittenhouse (10., Inc lioneoye Fall's,,N. ,Y.'., a corporation of New York Application Deccmber 1c, 1939, Serial'INol 3%,833

3 Claims.

This invention relates toasignal-device, and has to do particularly with thetypeof construction' including a chime element, a resonance chamber, and electrically operated striker mechanism embodyingasOlenoid, theplungen of which is provided with astrikerfor engagement with the chime element.

A principal object of the invention is to afford a structureof simple design, which can be manufactured atalowcost; by reducing the number of operations and eliminating the use of brackets, screws, or similar. attaching means for holding the solenoid in place.

Another. purposeof the invention is to afford a construction in which the solenoid is readily accessible, making it easy to replace if necessary, while at the same time concealing it from view so as to aiford a pleasing appearance and permit the use of variously designed housings, which is of importance where the device is intended for residential use.

An additional object is to afford an arrangement of such a character that the solenoid is held rigidly in its proper relation to the chime element and to the resonance chamber, so that there is no possibility of the solenoid plunger shifting from its correct alinement.

A further purpose is to afford a construction that permits of positioning a solenoid in close proximity to the chime element so that the plunger does not require an extension to engage the chime element.

Another purpose of the invention is to afford a structure that lends itself to the production of a stiff, rigid, and strong housing, and which retains the solenoid more securely and protects it more effectively than in prior constructions.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a rear elevation of a signal device constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated;

Fig. 3 is a plan view with the chime bar re moved, and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in which like reference characters referto. the'same parts throughout the several views, the structure includes a housing affording a resonance chamber and consisting generally of a back Wall i, whichis adapted. togbe attached in any. convenient manner. to a supporting surface, and a frontportion including sidewalls 2, top wall 3, bottom wall 4, and a front wall 5, whichis curved as shown to merge into the top and bottom walls 3'and 4.

Thebackwall l is flanged at its edges, aslinclicated att, tofit closely within the front portion of thehousing, and. may. be removably held infrictional engagement therewithby any suitable means such as interengaging recesses and projections on the flange 6 and the adjacent surfaces of the front portion of the housing, although the back Wall may be permanently fixed in the housing if preferred.

8 designates a chime bar or other suitable chime element mounted suitably upon posts carried by the top wall 3, while the top wall 3 of the housing is provided with openings 9 which may be located on opposite sides of the vertical center df the housing under the chime bar 8, and permit vibration of the body of air within the resonance chamber ii! that is afforded in front of the back wall I by the enclosed housing.

H designates a solenoid coil which is mounted on the rear face of the back wall I, so as to be readily accessible from outside the housing in the event that it must be replaced. The back wall I also serves to enclose and protect the solenoid, and to maintain it securely in proper relation to the chime bar. This is accomplished by providing the back wall with a centrally arranged inwardly extending portion of dished or other formation, affording a U-shaped pocket I2 that extends downwardly from its upper end and is deepest at its upper portion, as indicated at 3, to receive the coil of the solenoid. The pocket has a shallower portion I4 therebeneath which gradually merges into the lower portion of the back wall as shown in Fig. 2. The portions l3 and M are separated by a shoulder l5 upon which the lower plate of the solenoid coil is supported, the coil being thus located between the shoulder l5 and the flange 6 located immediately over the solenoid coil at the top of the back wall. The pocket or inwardly extending portion of the back wall may be of some other shape than that shown, and the solenoid may be secured therein by means other than that specifically set forth herein.

The pocket or dished portion 12 can be formed in the back plate I by a punch-press operation, and after the solenoid coil is positioned, it may be securely locked within the recess in the back plate by punching or striking inwardly the upset portions IB, see Fig. 4, which engage the coil and hold it securely in place. The solenoid includes a plungerl! having a striker tip [8 that engages the chime bar 8 when actuated upwardly, and the top wall 3 of the housing is provided with a central opening I9 through which the plunger is projected to engage and strike the chime bar. In the arrangement shown, the top of the solenoid is located adjacent to the top wall 3, and when the plunger is actuated upwardly, it moves through the opening IE! to strike the chime bar, the vibrations of the latter being imparted to the column of air in the resonance chamber through the aforementioned openings 9 on either side of the center of the chime bar.

The resonance chamber lies between the front portion of the housing and the back Wall I, and is separated from the solenoid by the inwardly extending or dished portions l3 and M, which enclose the solenoid and protect it against accidental damage or injury. The solenoid is entirely within the pocket provided by the dished portions l3 and I4, and its outermost portion is flush with the adjacent outermost portions of the back wall.

While the invention has been described with reference to the details of construction herein shown, it is not confined to this particular embodiment, and the application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as may come within the purposes of the improvement and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A signal device comprising a housing affording a resonance chamber and including top and front walls and a back wall having a pocket extending inwardly of the resonance chamber, a solenoid coil secured in said pocket against the rear face of the back wall and accessible from the outside of the housing, a solenoid plunger, and a chime bar secured to the housing and located in the path of the solenoid plunger.

2. A signal device comprising a housing affording a resonance chamber and including a. top wall and front and-back walls, said back wall extending inwardly of the resonance chamber, at its top central portion to afiord a pocket, a solenoid mounted in said pocket, a solenoid plunger, and a chime bar secured to the housing adjacent to the top wall, the top wall having an opening through which the solenoid plunger is movable to engage the chime bar.

3. A signal device comprising a housing afiord ing a resonance chamber and including a top wall and front and back walls, said back wall having a portion extending inwardly of the resonance chamber, a solenoid secured in said inwardly extending portion to the rear face of said back Wall and having a vertically operating plunger, and a horizontally arranged chime bar secured to the housing above the top wall, the top wall having an opening through which the solenoid plunger is movable to engage the chime bar.

LLOYD RITTENHOUSE. 

